Chapter 25

Day 42

The ragged column of refugees staggered through the gate into the End and found that town overrun with people from all over the North experiencing the same situation. The village population was swollen to over ten times its normal size. Every square inch of available space inside the structures was occupied, with work parties furiously throwing up new places to sleep as fast as they could get the dirt dug and rocks stacked. Any who had skill with a weapon, no matter how slight was pressed into service guarding the walls and securing the work parties who ventured out for construction materials and supplies.

A shout went up when the team driving his sled helped him stand. They’d splinted his leg, but he still couldn’t put any weight on it. He hobbled over to the knot of Captains clustered around Sloveng and Heegan, who were directing those from Watchtower to where they were needed. Gaybe followed him to huddle with his fellow Watch officers while John waited for the End leaders to finish their instructions. Whenever they would pause and look to him for direction, he just smiled back and motioned for them to continue.

After a week of being almost forcibly pampered, required to ride the sled no matter how much he protested, standing was painful, but a welcome pain. Someone had fashioned him a crutch, so he leaned on that to keep his balance.

Then Scar snapped at someone trying to empty the supplies from the sled. A kerfuffle ensued, so John hobbled back over to calm the animals down.

“It’s all right.” He soothed, chivying the remaining pup who was now double its original size out of the warm spot he’d made.

The other pups had befriended two of the younger Wardens during their march. The two mother worghs were now resigned to their progeny belonging to various humans, and only occasionally supervised their forays away from John and what appeared to be his new pets. He got the three calmed down, so they followed him as he returned to the leadership.

“You seem to have become a worgh tamer in your abundant spare time.” Sloveng commented once the Watchtower population’s instructions were complete.

John shrugged. “It was boring having to ride in the sled all the way from the Tower. Had to find some way to pass the time.”

Heegan chuckled while Sloveng shot a look at Gaybe. The Captain failed to notice, as he was quietly arguing with several of the other Captains.

Finding himself ignored, Sloveng returned his attention to John.

“And how do you fare, my lord? You’re injured?” He inquired.

“Yeah, broke my leg.” John muttered.

“But he won!” Gaybe finished when John didn’t elaborate. “Took on the biggest orc I’ve ever seen in single combat, without even a spear and cut the fiend down so quickly we could scarcely believe it!”

“Single combat?” Sloveng looked from John to Gaybe and back several times.

“Why?” Heegan asked pointedly.

“So the war band wouldn’t storm the Tower.” John replied.

“Or kill everybody.” Gaybe finished for him again.

The Captain retrieved the two braids from a knapsack tied to the sled. Despite John’s urging to throw the grisly reminders away, the Watch Captain refused to discard the two scalps he’d collected for his Overlord. He tossed the two now-cured trophies to Heegan while he described the fight at the Tower’s base, including the reason for the orcs’ actions.

“ ... and we grabbed the white one on our way out of town.” Gaybe finished.

By now all the Captains, including several more who’d been motioned over during the tale, and the End mayor were all staring at John in amazement.

“My lord,” Heegan licked his lips and cleared his throat, “you went into the fort by yourself? How did you survive? How did you escape?”

John shrugged yet again. “Dard has an escape tunnel. I used that.”

Lada walked up and overheard Heegan’s question and John’s reply. She snorted at his uninformative answer.

“You set off an explosion in the forge that every orc in the city felt.” Her grin was predatory. “Then we slit the throats of the entire Vanguard. It was fantastic!”

Heegan’s gaze fixed on the former madam. Though he obviously recognized her, he only asked, “You saw him do this? Kill the orc leader?”

Lada nodded emphatically. “Sure did. Even helped him. A little. Then he decided to leave the—t”

“Lada.” John growled. “That isn’t yours to tell. I’m warning you, again, don’t mention that. To anyone. If I hear about it, I’ll know it was you.”

Her jaw slammed shut with a snap. This was the second time he’d had to warn her about mentioning Dard’s vault. The woman just couldn’t keep a secret. John really needed to talk to the Valkyries again.

She nodded silently.

“Now,” John turned back to the mayor and Watch officers, “what’s our plan?”

“Plan for what, my lord?” Heegan asked.

“Dealing with this.” John waved his hand at the village.

“My lord,” Sloveng cut in, “we are building houses as quickly as possible. With this many people, we think we can withstand a true siege, though it will not be comfortable. What else is there to do?”

“Leave.” John replied.

The men all stared at him in shock.

“Uh, and go where?” Someone asked.

John pointed up the valley. “Into the Door.”

Except for Gaybe, who knew it was coming, all the others looked horrified by this idea.

“You’d have everyone do your Challenge? You said only one in five survive!” Sloveng argued.

John shook his head. “No, nobody who doesn’t want to, or isn’t prepared has to risk the Hall. There’s a long section, several miles long in fact, that has no threats at all. In fact, you can’t enter the Hall at all unless Wotaanz shows you how to get past the ice blocking the way into the Hall itself. The passage is wide, and there is space for everyone here. Would you rather let the orcs come surround us, or make them channel themselves into the narrow cut just outside the Door?”

“Leave our homes?” Sloveng looked horrified when Heegan and several other Captains failed to veto the idea.

“Is this spot actually valuable in its own right?” John asked. “Is there some reason we have to be here, other than that it’s the closest spot large enough for a town to the Door?”

“No my lord, it isn’t.” Heegan admitted.

“It’s these people who are important, not the village location.” John argued. “Is anything short of a huge army going to push the orcs back beyond the Rim?”

“No.” One of the Captains spoke for them all.

John pointed. “No. But if we occupy the Door now, we can continue to fortify it. I’ve seen the climb up the mountainside. Given any chance at all, people will choose to brave the way we went over making that climb. I’m telling you, if we do this right, people will pay us for the privilege of entering.”

“Not if the orcs besiege us.” Someone else argued.

John smiled for the first time. “You let me worry about that.”

“Do you trust me still?” He asked when they were silent for an entire minute.

He let that question hang in the air. Glances were exchanged.

“Aye lord.” Heegan sighed. “But this will be hard.”

“Harder than letting the orcs encircle us and slowly whittle our numbers down?” Gaybe asked.

“No.” Somebody muttered. It was quickly echoed around the group.

Sloveng was nearly trembling as he vainly looked for support from even one Captain.

“Heegan,” John said quietly.

“Yes my lord?”

“Get things moving.” John commanded. “We’ll need a rear guard. One sizable enough to delay the orcs if they get here fast enough. We need flanking security, and we need to get the slowest moving right now! Have the rest pack up all supplies, food and warmth are the priority. I find anyone not carrying a weapon, meal or something to keep them from freezing and they’re going to have a problem. Go.” He paused. “Sloveng, stay for a moment.”

The rest all saluted and moved off. A flurry of activity flowed out from their wake as they strode through the town.

“My lord?” The mayor gulped once they were alone.

“What is it you fear?” John asked gently.

“I ... I can’t ... it’s too much ... rock.” Sloveng quavered.

“Claustrophobia.” John muttered in English. “Huh.”

“What is that, my lord?” Sloveng stared.

“In my world, we have identified several common overwhelming fears that people experience. We have a word for it, but all it means is: ‘an intense dislike of being in a confined spot.’ I’ll have to ask Veronyka how to help you deal with it. I promise you, my friend, we’ll find a way for you to handle this.”

They man didn’t look relieved at all.

“Go, get things moving. You can be in the last group.” John informed him.

Gulping and visibly attempting to calm down, the mayor moved off.

“Welcome back, lord Jyon!” A familiar voice barked.

John turned, smiling at the lad standing behind him. He saluted the boy back, then clasped forearms and wrapped the boy’s shoulders with his free hand. Shoulder to chest he gave a brief hug before pushing the lad back away to examine him. It had only been a couple weeks, but it already looked like he was putting on muscle mass. He’d ditched some of the padding underneath his armor, and someone had been upgrading it with pieces of metal. He was carrying his dragon-made spear and his mother’s new shield.

“Why are you carrying Aegis?” John asked finally, nodding at the disc.

“Mom took her Warden shield back. She said people were upset that I was using it. Plus, she said you’re right, it’s wise.”

“Wise? How?” John let go and stepped back.

“When I’m standing guard, it talks to me. And when people are upset or arguing, it tells me what to say, so they feel better or stop fighting.” Treb explained.

“It talks to you? Not her?” John unconsciously put a hand on the Tooth.

Have him put the shield down, and place me atop it. His ax instructed.

“She said it’s still hers, and if I don’t give it back to her at least once a day, it disappears. But other than that, yeah it talks to me too. It’s really neat!”

The boy’s enthusiasm made John smile. He pointed down and drew out the Tooth.

“Put it down, and let’s let mine talk to yours.”

Treb obeyed, and they stepped back.

“What about your spear?” John asked.

Treb shook his head. “It’s just a normal enchanted weapon. Like your other ones.”

Not for the first time John wished he could tell the boy what he’d discovered about upgrading his weapon during the Challenge.

“Oh!” John pointed at the worgh pup. “I have someone for you to meet. Come here.”

Treb knelt and offered a hand for the animal to examine. He looked up at John.

“Are they yours?” His gaze included the two mothers.

“These two have attached themselves to me, yeah.” John admitted, indicating the mothers. “Scar and Mama, meet Trebuchet.”

“But this one is for you.” He concluded.

“For me?” The boy looked amazed. “But. I’m not a worgh tamer.”

“Maybe not.” John agreed. “But if you befriend him, and feed him I’ll bet he attaches himself to you pretty quick. I think he’s still young enough.”

“What’s he called?”

“That’s for you to decide.” John smiled. “Go get some meat, and we’ll work on convincing him that you’re his new friend.”

“All right!” The boy stood, but paused. “Uh, I’m not allowed to leave my shield.”

“Good point.” John nodded. “One second.”

He leaned over, balancing on his good leg and put a hand on the Tooth.

Verdict?

The boy is correct. The shield bears the memory of a trio of sages who attempted to secure peace between the two dragon factions before the Betrayer War. They do what they can to aid whomever bears them. I remember them, but not their individual names. Now they go by their title: The Ayjiis. The boy will learn much carrying them.

Good, thank them for me.

He heard a whispered conversation, just outside his ability to decipher it, before retrieving his ax.